Hydraulic apparatus



May 22, 1928.`

F.NAGLER HYDRAULIC APPARATUS A .f A1,

l 7 me ff www? vm L M a s 4 m .,...x 2 u 9 Q 4 m A .M 5 v. 3 M c@ a A/#v .A 4 m 8 M f y Hf m z 4 *www J f 5 Y Patented May 22, 1928.

'rss PATENT onine-E.

' EORREST: NAGLER, 'or WAUvvATos'A, WISCONSIN, Assienon ,Tol ALMS-CHALMERS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, E MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin,y A* CORPORATION or DELAWARE.

HYDRAULIC APPARATUS.

Application filedf March 27, 1922. Serial No. 5465994.

Thisl invention relatesin generalv to improvenienti-s inthe art ot' converting hydraulic energy into torque in arotating shaft, and relates kmore 'specitically to improvements in the construction and operation of hydraulic machines such as hydraulic turbines or pumps.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved' h ydraulic` ina-chine Which is simple in construction'and efficient in ,operation'.v Another lobject oi the invention is to provide' an iniproved arrangement ot hydraulic machines whereby a plurality oit lsuch machines may be eiiiciently operated from a common-source of fluid supply. A. tur-ther object of the invention isto provide an improved hydraulicpower installation 2in which mostetiicient hydraulic lovv conditions are attained. Anotherobject of the invention is to'provide hydraulic installation having maximum capacity- 'tor the space occupied by the unit.- Still anotheinobject ot the invention is to-provide ahydraulic turbine unit any desired number of which may be associated to. drive 'a single energy absorber.

Another obj ect ot the invention is toy provide a turbine-nuit whichr may be readily subst-itutedfforfexist-ing units to produce increased eiliciencyand energy conversion. A further object of the invention is to provide various improvements inthe construction and operation oihydraulic turbines lhaviiig high specific `or characteristic speeds. These and other objects andladvanta'ges of the present invention Willbe apparent-tiem the following description.

A clear conception oi an embodiment of the invention and oit the' operation ot devices constructed in accordance therewith, may be had by referring to the dra'xvingiaccompanying and' 'forming` ai part of this specification, in' Whichlilre reference characters designate the same vor similar parts in the several vieivs. l

F ig. 1 is ar-part sectional `plan view ot an improved hydraulic turbinel installation.

Fig.' 2 is? alongitudinal verticalsection through the improved hydraulic turbine installation, E, ,A

Fig.. is av transverse vertical-section through the improved vhydraulic turbine inn sta'llatiom the ysection being taken `directly y in' front ot one of the turbine units( 'lhel hydraulic installation sliovvniinrr the drawing, comprises in general a plurality ot' turbine units cooperating to drive a single energyabsorber or dyn'ai'i'io-electric machine 13j through a. common horizontal shaft 3. The turbine units receive their operating luidfrom a common relatively narroiv flume orpenstock lOthrough a grid 11, and deliver the fluid to ascommon tailrace 12.

Each oi' the turbine units comprises a purely axial-flow high-speed impeller 2 mounted upon a section `ot the horizontal shaft 8 and located Within a purely axialfiovv portion of theconduit formed by the turbine r casing.` The admission of iuid to 'the turbine impelleiI-Q is eiiected through a purely axial-How conduit portion havingr an annular series of adjustable guide vanes 6 therein and y having an axially extending yvane free transition space located between the guide vanos G and the vanes of the iinpeller 2; The portion otl the turbine shaft 3 which is located directly adjacent to and in advancel of eachfimpeller 2, is supported ina bearing-'16 which is rigidly associated Withlthe outer; turbine casing means of radial ribs located onthe side ofthe adjustable vanes Gremote from the impeller 2'. The guide 4vanes 6 are mounted upon radial pivot shafts, the outer extremity of' each of which is `provided With a vane adjusting gear 8 meshing withan Aannular gear 9 rotatably supported by the outer turbine casing. The annular'vane adjusting. gear 9 is provided with ears 17 which are connected to a common regulating shaft 19 lby means vof connections 18 and intervening levers. The gearsLS, 9`r are protected from' the accumulation of dbris, by'nieans oia suitable -cover or casing AQ0.' The discharge ot' each 'impeller 2 is directed axially. adjacent to the impeller and YVcommunicatcs with' a drait tube the'A airis otwhich preferably entends at an angle less than :'600 relatively to the horizontal; in` order4 to avoid abrupt deflection ofthe 'discharge,loiv l The. turbineunitsare `connected to each other by'means'ot a` couplingland it will beA obviousthat With `this arrangement anyl number-,otunitsmay be associated gWith' a common shaft' 3. The .regulating shaftr 1 9 niayfextend g into Y a chamber 14s 'and' may be operated either manually*v or automatically by Vmeans for" governor in the lusual manner. i During.normal-operationotthe apparatus,

Vmum hydraulic energy loss. be noted that any numberoi the umts may common penstock `l to each of the turbine units. It `willbe obvious that the guide vanes 6 besides servingto throttle' the inlet flow, deliver the fluid into `the-transition` space l with an axially advancing whirling motion. The axially advancing stream `in passing from the `transition space 4 into the adjacent impeller 2 proceeds without shock since the transition space enables the fluid to assume a degree of whirl corresponding to the characteristics ot' the in'ipeller vanes. In the imp'eller 2 a considerable portion of the whirl energy of the fluid transformed into torquein the rotating shaft 3 and the fluid is eventually delivered from the impeller 2 around the. gradual bendinthe discharge tube and into the draft tube 5 where the remaining whirl and velocity energy is converted into pressure energy. By manipulating the adjusting shaft 'i9 either manually or automatically, the degree ofl whirl of the entering' fluid and the quantity of fluid admitted, may be readily varied inaccordauce with the energy demand. i

It will. be obvious that by arranging the turbine units as illustrated, abrupt changes in the direction of flow are entirely avoided without restricting the quantity of' flow `to each of the several units. By thus avoiding abrupt changes in the direction of flow, high velocity of' flow is attainable with mini- It will also be combined in parallel relation to each other to produce any desired lamountof energy conversion, the number of units, however, depending upon the available fluid supply. These axial flow units `may also be readily substituted for existing radial inlet units, without altering the inlet flumes, to produce relatively greater power, because the axial flowv inlet permits attainment of higher inlet velocities. The extreme simplicity of the installation Aalso augmente the efficiency attainable due to' elimination oi obstructions and other structure tending to createeddies and friction losses.

The specific type of impeller herein illustrated forms no part of the present invention being illustrated and claimed in application, Serial No. 197,964, filed Oct. Q0, 1917'. It will also be obvious that the principles ofthe present invention are applicable to other types of hydraulic machines and that it is not essential to have the `main shaft horizontally disposed. The guide vane adjustingmechanism may also be considerably alteredwithout departing from the present invention. i

l Itshould be `understood that it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact de` tails of construction and of operation herein' shown and described, for vvarious modifications within the scope of the claims' may occur to persons skilled in the art.

j It is claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent: Q

l. In combination, a plurality of impellers through which fluid flows in thesame axial direction, one of said impellers being located at the inlet side of the other, means forming purely axial flow conduits leading to said impellers, said conduitsV havingindependent communication `with a. common sourceof fluidsupply, adjustable means. for producing variable whirling motion of fluid admitted to at least one-of said impellers, and a flow decelerator communicating with the discharge of at least one ofl said impellers. j j

2( In combinatioin-a plurality' ofcoaxial impellers through 'which fluid flows kin the same axial direction, one of' said impellers being located at-the inlet side ofthe other and having its discharge located between said impellers, means forming `purely axial flow conduits leading in the .same direction toward said impellers, said conduit communicating with a common source of fluid supply, adjustable means for'producing vari able whirling motion of fluid admitted tol at least one ofsaid impellers, and aflow decelerator communicating with the discharge of' at least one of said impellers.y

3. In combination, a pluralityv of impellersthrough which fluid flows in the same axial direction, one` of said impellers being located atthe inlet side ofthe other and having itsdischarge located between said iin.- pellers, means forming purely axial flow conduitsleading in the same direction toward said impellers, said conduits having independent communication with a common sourceof fluid supply, means for' producing whirling motion of the fluid admitted to each of' said impellers, and a flow decelerator, communicating with the discharge of each of said impellers. l,

il; lncombination, a plurality of coaxial impellersthrough which fluid flows in the same axial direction, one vof said impellers being located atthe inlet side ofthe other and havi-ng its discharge located between said impellers, means forming purely axial flow'conduits leading in Vthe same axial direction toward said impellers, said conduits having direct and independent communication withV a common source of Huidsupply, adjustable vmeans for producing variable whirling mot-ion of' the fluid admitted vto each of said impellers, and a flow decelerator communicating with the discharge of' each of said impellers. j

5. In combination, a plurality of impellers through which fluid flows in thesame axial directiomineans forming `purely axialflow conduits leading from' a common source of lll() shaft supporting all of said impellers,`

means forming purely axial flow conduits con'imunicating with the inlctvoflf each ol said iii'ipellers. means forming a common source of fluid supply. con'iii'iunicating directly with each ot' said conduits, adjustabley means located in. each olf said conduits for producing` whirling motion of the `fluid delivered to said impellers, and a flow decelerator communicating with the discharge of each of said impellers.

7. In combination, a. plurality of im pellers the discharge of each of which has a substantial component in the direction of inipeller axis, a common shaft supporting all of said impellers, means for conducting fluid to said inipellers in the saine direction .in parallel and from a common supply, and a flow deceleratiiig tube coinn'iunicating with the discharge of' each of said iinpellers, each of said tubes being bent through an angle less than O relatively to the axis of said common iinpeller shaft.

` 8. In combination, a plurality of identical hydraulic machine associated With a common shaft. each of said machines comprising an impeller through which fluid flows in an axial direction only, means forming a purely a ial flow conduit communicating with the inlet of' said impeller, means located within said conduit for producing lwhirling motion of the fluid delivered to said iinpeller, and

.a flow deceleiator communicating with the discharge of said impeller.

9. Incoinbination, a plurality of identical hydraulic machines associatedl with a common shaft, means providing a common source of fluid supply communicating directly with the inlet of each of said inacliines, and means providing a common receiver communicating with the discharge oi each ol said machines, each of said niacliines comprising an impeller through 'which fluid flows in an axial direction only,

means `forming a purely axial ioW conduit communicating with the inlet of said impeller, adjustable means located in said conduit for `producing whirling motion of the fluid delivered to said iinpeller, and a flow decelerator comprising a tube bent through an angle less than (30o relatively to the axis of said shaft and communicating with the discharge oi said inipeller and with said receiver.

l0. In combination, a pair ofl interconnected high speed turbine impellers through which fluid flows in the saine direction, one of'said iinpellers being located at the inlet side of the other, means orminga vane free transition spaceformed to permit free whirl of' the entering fluid directly adjacent to the inlet of' each impeller and communicating with a common source of supply, means for producing whirling motion ot' fluid admitted to at least one of said spaces,

and a draft tube communicating with the discharge ot at least one of said impelleis.

1l. In combination, a plurality oil interconnected high speed turbine iinpellei's through which fluid flows in the saine axial direction, one of said in'ipellcrs being located at the inlet side of the other, means forming a Vane free transition space formed to permit free whirl of the entering fluid directly adjacent to the inlet ot each iinpeller and communicating directly with a common source of supply, adjustable means for producing variable whirling motion ofl fluid admitted to each ot said spaces, and a drai't tribe communicating with the discharge of each of said iinpellers.

In testimony whereof, the signature of the inventor is allixed hereto.

ronnnsr iiaeiinii. 

